The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-09

shooting. meeting-piaces, signal c6mmittes
mass-meeting. communication with absent m en-
bers. etc, was an unlawful conspiracy
WHAT TOOK PLACE AT THE MEETfsd:
The court finds that the jury wer1 justified
in believing that Dsgans death was -shes result
of this conspiracy. The main idea was to throw
a bomb into each police station and shsn shoot
down the policemen. This plan seens To have
been disarranged by the appearance Of tine po-
lice from the Desplaines-strsst station to dis
perse the meeting. The meeting. by the way
though called for 7:30, did not begin until 9
o'clock, until after the bombs had been
brought to Nefs Hall. Even if the interior
euce of the police had been improper that
would not have justified the bomb.throwiug,
but the court finds that the numerous disturb
ances in the city and the incendiary character
of the speeches at this meeting. Just titled the
police The police decided to break up the
meeting when it was reported the station tn {
FielGen had just used this language .sYou have
nothing more to do with the law except to lay
hands on it and throttle 1t until it makes its last
kick. Keep your eyes upon 1t. throttle it. kill
II, stab it, do everything you can to wound il"
These words caused great excitement.
Then the order to disperse was given
by the police. Fielder descended
from the wagon from which ne was speaking,
saying: I'VE are peaceable." The evidence
does not conclusiveiy show whether not these
words were uttered as the English equivalent of
the German word "Ruhe." which had been
printed in the "Arbeitsr Zetung" in accordance
with the plans of the conspirators; but certain
IL is" says the court, that no sooner had
Fielden said. We are peacsable.' than the bomb
ley of shots was fired" The testimony for the
defense that the only shooting was done by the
police was evidently perjured: The police were
pistol wounds and the many who were wounded
could not have been shot by the police.
This is the story of the conspiracy, very
thousand details strengthening it. The court
then proceeds to take up the evidence affecting
each defendant in turn. and showing the
grounds upon which the jury believed each
guilty. These may be briefly summed up as
follows:
LINGG's CASE.
Lineg undoubtedly made the bomb which
killed began. and made it 20 be used to kill the
police and the militia. 1t makes no difference
in considering his guilt where or when the bomb
was used, or by whom or against whom. if he
made it with that object and conspired to have
it used. There is much additional evidence.
however against Linrg He said Tuesday af-
ternoon that the bombs sswere to be used that
night and that they were going to be good fod
der for the capitalists, and the police when
evening of the meeting he appeared before the
North. Avenue police station and proposed to
Seleer to throw a bomb in and shoot down two
policemen who were in front of the building.
This was directly in the line of the programme
already adopted. but not done. His con-
duct showed that he expected disturbance
and he was wild with excitement when patrol
wagon manned with policemen passed him and
he was unable to light his bomb quick enough
to throw it among them. The Court speaks
follows of the question whether q member of the
conspiracy threw the bomb:
I'VE think, however. that the jury were justi
fed in believing from the evidence that the man
who threw the bomb was either member of
the conspiracy or an agent employed by ir.
This appears from the facts already recited.
Three circumstances especially served to iden-
tify him as being connected with the conspiracy.
E.~~x vhA h4vr h. thaA 141 81
bombs mad by Lingg; second. the bonn bs made
by Lipgg were finished and distributed short
time before explosion that they could hardly
have been obtained elsewhere or by others than
those for whose he intended them: third.
the throwing Of the bomb occurred almost at
the same time with the firing of the shots, the
latter followed SO closely upon the former that
the two cannot be regarded otherwise than
parts of a joint attack, showing that the man
who threw the bomb and the men who fired the
shots were acting in unison with each other;
this negatives the idea of independent action by
outside individual having a srudee; the char
acter of the attack as joint one and the con-
it that kind of an attack which the conspira-
tors planned to make. Moreover. there is no
evidence in the record Of the making Of bombs
by anybody except Lingg and those associated
with him.
ENGEL AND FISCHER
Engel and Fischer were largely instrumental
in organizing the conspiracy, and advised and
induced q band of seventy or eighty armed and
drilled men to enter into plot 10 murder the
police with bombs and pistols" The court holds
that "the murder of Dsgan took place as
legitimate consequence" Therefore, they
aided, abetted. advised and encouraged the
commission OF that murder Both were present
nj the meeting. but Engel was at his homo near
by when the explosion took place. "rnat some
of the conspirators might be at homo when the
provided for by the terms of the plot. In the
event of a collision at night, the committee
appointed 10 watch the movement was to report
to the arm men at their homes" But the court
expressly declares thatit makes no difference in
their responsibility whether they were at the
meeting when the bomb was thrown or not.
SPIES AND scHwAB
The word ''ruhe" was inserted in the Arbeiter
Zeitung by Spies in his own hand. If he knew
its meaning he clearly had guilty knowledge
of the conspiracy He claimed that he only
knew it's meaning after its insertion, but the
jury in the light of his conduct before and after
r efused to believe this. Tho evidence, in the
court showed that Spies. who was the editor,
and Schwab, who was the foreman, "not only
joined the conspiracy after it was formed but
inspired the conception Of it before it was
formed" The utterances of the paper were in a
most bloodthirsty aud devilish spirit, repeatedly
the various steps of tho conspiracy az
to show complete knowledge of it,
and participation in it. Spies's admitted
and proved utrerances that and previous |
DAYS were direct indictments to bloodshed. Col |
umn after column is cited to show that he made |
extraordinary efforts to lash the workingmen to |
fury. The court holds that the jury has the |
right to consider these utterances in connection
with the actions of the accused. Spies had en- |
tire charge of the meeting. There also |
testimony by an upimpeached witness that Spies |
said to Schwab: ''Do you think one is enough |
or hadn's we better go and GET more7' and that |
Spies handed something to Rudolph schnaubelt.
whom witnesses identified the thrower of the |
bomb. but who. by police blunder, was allowed |
to escape Another witness swore that Spies |
struck the atch with which Schnaubelt lighted |
the bomb. The court declares explicitly, how
ever, that there was enough evidence to convict
Spies without these two witnesses.
FIELDEN AND PARSONS.
Fielden was not one of the original conspira-
tors, but the court holds that the evidence was
sufficient to convict him. Sir police officers |